


First You See Me, And Then You See Me Again

by CJMartinnn, meowitskatmofo



Series: Our Gotham, Nots Yours [11]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Babs and Tabs and Butch, Clayface Jerkface, Gordlock - Freeform, M/M, Nygmobblepot, Torture, bad stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-15 03:20:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9216335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJMartinnn/pseuds/CJMartinnn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/meowitskatmofo/pseuds/meowitskatmofo
Summary: When Oswald is kidnapped by old enemies, Edward will stop at nothing to get him back.





	1. And Things Were Going So Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What should have been a very special night for Oswald for Edward turns sour when Barbara and Butch come calling to collect revenge for their dear Tabitha.

Oswald had only ever been to the gates of the Wayne Manor, never actually having been able to see the inside of the massive mansion. He could only imagine what secrets were hiding behind those walls. But he would save that for another time. Tonight, he simply had every intention to just enjoy himself with Ed. And enjoying themselves, they were. It had felt truly liberating to stop hiding their relationship, being able to be out in public doing something as simple as holding Ed's hand. There was genuinely no better feeling he could imagine. 

Of course, there were obligations he had to fulfill, a few pictures here and there, a couple statements. But for the most part, they were able to spend most of their time that night together. Oswald, of course, was on his, well... fifth drink? Maybe seventh? He wasn't sure what the number was, but he'd had enough glasses of wine and champagne that he was certainly tipsy, not shy at all about clinging to Ed in public. 

He'd had his men take a look around, just to make sure there was no threat to be seen and everything had seemed clear. Any worries that were in the back of Oswald's mind were shoved away, just focusing on he and Ed. But, of course, this was Gotham, and nowhere was truly safe. 

Hiding out among the crowd, Barbara Kean and Butch Gilzean were simply waiting for the right moment to make their move. Unbeknowst to Oswald or Edward yet, the pair had rescued their beloved Tabitha just hours before. It had been bloody and quick, Barbara overjoyed to finally be reunited with her dear Tabby. But after seeing the extent of what had been done to her, Barbara had made up her mind that those two dapper monsters were going to pay dearly; especially Edward Nygma.

It wasn't hard for them to infiltrate the guest list at Wayne Manor, even on such short notice. Their disguises worked perfectly and even Butch was managing to stay inconspicous until the time was right. Barbara sipped on a glass champagne, eyes ever watchful over the rim. Soon, she thought, oh, very soon.

Oswald was all smiles, watching people dance and have a good time, glad that they had decided to do this. His arm was wrapped around Ed's waist, his head resting against his side as he glanced up at his boyfriend, grinning ear to ear. "I'm so glad you came as my date," he nodded, his eyes staring up at Ed. This was genuinely the happiest he had been in a long time and they were barely even into their evening.

Edward had always been content to be on the sidelines; watching Oswald from a distance was part of his job when they were out in the world and he had accepted it. Discretion had been key to their relationship's survival for so long. But now, being at Oswald's hip? Holding his hand? Even standing with him in some of those photos as cameras flashed all around them? Ed knew there was no going back after this. He didn't want to ever have to hide his affections again.

He kept a strong arm around Oswald's shoulders to help steady him, well aware of how much his little lush had drank so far this evening. Ed had sipped his own fair share of champagne and he was absolutely glowing. His head was buzzing, his soul at ease. He nuzzled his chin against Oswald's hair, kissing at the top of his brow. He was so happy.

"Me, too," Edward sighed contently. "I am having so much fun! I never thought I'd ever get to visit Wayne Manor." He winked playfully, teasing, "Dating the mayor has its perks!" He absently reached his hand into his coat pocket for what felt like the hundredth time this evening. The ring. He had to make sure it was there, safe and sound, ready to pull out when the time was right.  
Oswald was as happy as could possibly be, feeling surprisingly at ease with everything so out in the open. He had everything he could possibly want; he was the Mayor, King of the underworld and he had someone to share it all with. And it felt so much more official not having to keep it a well guarded secret. 

"And here I was thinking that sleeping with me was the best perk," Oswald teased, a small blush spreading across his cheeks at Ed's little wink. Without a second thought, Oswald took a step back and grabbed ahold of the arm that had been steadying him, taking Ed's hand in his own. "C'mon. Dance with me. It'll be fun." he insisted, practically dragging Ed. 

"Dance?" Ed had barely gotten the word out before he found himself being dragged out onto the dance floor. The other couples out dancing made room for them, parting aside as Oswald naturally had placed them in the very center of the floor. Ed laughed softly, pulling his boyfriend close. He took Oswald's hand and hooked his arm around him, bowing his head down to sweetly kiss him amidst a few camera flashes.  
  
"Don't let me trip, okay? Lots of cameras, in case you didn't notice," Oswald practically giggled, hooking an arm around Ed's waist to steady himself again.  
"Just follow my lead," Ed soothed, his cheeks flushed ever so slightly. It had just been a little kiss, this was just a slow dance. But he knew that they could both feel how everyone was watching them, whispering. It made it seem more exciting, more daring. Ed eased into the slow rhythm of the music, letting his hips guide Oswald's as they glided across the floor. He leaned his cheek against his lover's brow, letting the music wash over him as he lost himself to such a simple pleasure.  
  
Even though it had taken some adjusting after Fish wrecked his leg, Oswald had always been halfway decent when it came to dancing. Especially a simple slow dance. His mother had always loved to dance and insisted her son dance with her, so he had picked up a few things over the years.  
  
How could they have never danced together before? Ed was pretty talented on his toes and Oswald, even with his limp, was a natural. Ed should have known that they'd be great together out on the floor. The way their bodies could move while making love was amazing and how was that so different than how you moved when you danced? Everything always seemed so perfect with Oswald and this was no exception.

Oswald could feel so many eyes on them, but it didn't matter. He was lost entirely in dancing with Ed. Even though they were being watched, it felt like there was no one else in the world, just the two of them. He did as told, following Ed's lead, the two of them gliding gracefully together.  
  
"Ready for our big finish?" Ed laughed softly, hearing the music beginning to wind down. He made sure to hold on tight, dipping Oswald back ever so carefully before sweeping him back up into his arms. He couldn't resist giving him another sweet kiss, hearing a light smattering of applause around them.  
When Ed tipped him back, Oswald held on tightly, loving how smoothly he had executed the dip and bringing him back up for a sweet kiss, Oswald was swooning. He returned the kiss more than happily, letting it linger a moment before gently pulling away. "You are a much better dancer than I expected," he mused, reaching up and gently brushing a stray hair from Ed's face.  
  
Edward smiled shyly at the compliment about his dancing, saying with a laugh, "You should know by now to always expect the unexpected from me. The unexpected, the mysterious, the surprising! I do love a good surprise." Ed couldn't wait to share with Oswald the very special surprise he had hiding up his sleeve for tonight; or technically, in his pocket.  
  
Oswald let out a happy little sigh, giving Ed's hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm going to go grab us another drink, alright?" he nodded.  
Edward's hand patted absently at his coat, saying earnestly, "Hurry back!"  
  
Oswald smiled, stealing one more sweet little kiss before heading over to the bar, rather impatiently waiting in line, looking back every so often to check on Ed.  
  
Edward watched Oswald, struggling to keep an eye on him through the crowd of people. He headed towards the edge of the dance floor, trying to get out of the way of people moving around as the music started up again. He took a long deep breath, his hand slipping into his pocket and palming the ring.  
This was it. He was going to ask him. He practiced the words in his head over and over again, his mind racing away. Should he get down on one knee? Should he stand? No, definitely kneel. Would he ask using his full name? Did everyone know his middle name was Chesterfield? Calm down, Ed. Calm down.

He took another deep breath, glancing down at the ring in his hand. His fingers were shaking ever so slightly and he gripped the ring tightly, fearful he would drop it. He looked back up, his eyes scanning the bar for Oswald. What was taking him so long?

Oswald had been trying his best to hurry back, but damn it, the woman in front of him was taking forever. He had lost track of Ed after a few minutes, though he figured he couldn't have gotten very far. Finally, he began to get fed up, tapping the woman in front of him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, ma'am. But some of us have things to do this evening?"

Just like that, their fun filled evening had come to an end. The woman turned around, revealing who exactly she was. Barbara Kean!

"Well, well. Fancy meeting you here, Pengy. We have so much to talk about," Barbara laughed, leaving Oswald more than a little shocked. Before he could even fathom a response, he was snatched up from behind by Butch. The large man's hand was pressed over his mouth, a rag soaked with chroloform pressed between them. Butch held tight, using his sheer girth to hide what he was doing as Oswald struggled, Barbara leading him out quickly before any of the guests even noticed what had happened.

Oswald had passed out, Butch throwing him up and carrying him over his shoulder like a broken doll. He and Barb made a mad dash towards one of the back doors of the kitchen, outside of which they had left their car. The cooks paid no mind, simply assuming the lush mayor had had too much to drink. It wouldn't be the first time a distinguished person had been carried out through a back door at a party.

One of the members of the Wayne security team posted in the kitchen was no so complacent, putting up a hand when Barbara and Butch tried to pass, asking sternly, "Can I help you?"

Barbara batted her big blue eyes, gushing, "Oh! We just have to wiggle on by you. The mayor is clearly not in any shape for the public eye right now as you can see." She mimiced drinking from a glass, making a few loud 'glug glug' sounds. "He's a real party animal, poor little guy is all tuckered out and we just need to get him on out of here."

Butch nodded, echoing, "Yup. Party Animal."

"I would really hate it if the mayor found out you weren't cooperative," Barbara said, her voice not quite as sweet, a little more nasty, "I just know he wouldn't like if you found out you didn't allow us to leave with him discreetly. Can you imagine how angry he'll be if any of those cameras in there get a shot of him looking like this?" 

Butch emphatically pointed at the passed out body draped across his shoulder.

"All right," the security guard was hesitant, but relented. He didn't want to get caught up in any sort of scandal."Go ahead."

"You are just so sweet!" Barbara purred, reaching out and pinching his cheek. She hurried out the door, Butch lumbering right behind her. They hurried to the car, Butch tossing Oswald's limp body into the backseat. They were swift to take their leave. It was certain they would be discovered sooner or later, but not before they would safely escape with their prize.

Edward had continued to wait for Oswald to return, but this was getting ridiculous. He could have gone home and brought Oswald back a drink faster than this. There was a hint of worry crawling into the back of his mind. Something felt wrong. He put the ring back in his pocket, telling himself it was nothing, moving through the crowd towards the bar. No Oswald. He asked the bartender if she had seen the mayor and she said she had not. Now, Ed was really beginning to worry. 

Edward alerted the men that were here working for Penguin to look for him, but he had no idea that he was too late. He searched every room, every hallway, every bit of the manor that he was given access to. He started calling Penguin's cell phone, fretting even more as it just rang and rang.

There, wait, he could hear it ringing! He turned around, excitement and relief washing over him, expecting to see Oswald. But no, it was one of Penguin's men, the phone in his hand. Ed felt a terrible knot twisting up in his stomach.  
"We found it outside," the man said, offering it towards Ed. "We can't find the Boss anywhere."

Edward's heart dropped, his mouth went dry. He took the phone, hugging it close, snapping back at the man, "Keep looking! And when you think you're done, you are going to look some more!" Ed was trying to stay calm; there was no need to involve the authorities just yet. A missing mayor! The city would panic.

The party was winding down and still no sign of Oswald. Ed had to concede that he wasn't there. Someone had taken him. He made sure all of the men knew to alert the rest of the gangs out on the streets to be on the lookout for Penguin. Ed left quickly, got in their car, signaling the driver to take him home. He rolled up the tinted window between them, taking the ring out of his pocket with a sad sigh. He should have just asked him while they were dancing. Then he wouldn't have gone for those drinks, then maybe...

Ed leaned his head against the window, holding the ring tight and fighting back tears. "Oswald," he asked softly. " _Where are you?_ "

By the time Oswald woke up, a few hours had passed and everything was a bit fuzzy at first. The last thing he could remember was dancing with Ed. He couldn't have drank that much to be missing half a night, could he? But when he tried to roll over and was stopped by restraints, he realized that he wasn't home in his bed. His eyes fluttered open, his breathing picking up when he looked around to see a dark, almost empty warehouse.

"Rise and shine, Pengy! Do we have some fun planned for you," Barbara taunted, walking over to the chair they had Oswald tied to, gripping his jaw hard in her hand, forcing him to look up at her. Slowly, the rest of the evening started to come back to him.  Barbara and Butch grabbing him from the bar, Ed telling him to hurry back. _Fuck, Ed!_

Oswald's eye scanned the room, at least the best he could with Barbara holding his face so firmly. He didn't see Ed anywhere, which sent a small wave of relief over him, until he realized that meant he might be hurt or worse. He looked up at Barb with a vicious scowl, spitting in her face. "Where's Ed?" he growled, struggling against his restraints. He was met with a harsh slap across the face.

"Aw, poor Ozzie. You haven't figured it out, have you?" Barb cooed, her voice taunting, letting out a cackle. "He was in on it the whole time. How do you think we got to you so easily, huh? Your precious Ed has been working for us the entire time." 

Oswald's heart sunk in his chest, biting down on his lip hard, shaking his head. "No. There's no way," he insisted, not buying it at all. There was no way Ed could have been in on it, there was no way he could have faked it for that long. But that was when he noticed there was someone else there hanging back in the shadows. A very familiar silhouette, one he had seen a thousand times in the dark. _No. It couldn't be him. It just couldn't be._

Edward Nygma stepped out of the shadows, smiling sweet as he linked an arm about Babs' waist. "Oh! Hey, there Ozzie!"

He looked like Ed, he sounded like Ed, he was wearing a dark green suit like Ed. 

Of course it wasn't really him; it was Clayface, Basil Karlo, the amazing shapeshifter from Indian Hill. Babs and Tabs had found him out on the streets and taken him in, saving his amazing abilities to use for a rainy day... Just like today. Barbara had never been more proud of herself watching a plan come alive. 

'Edward' smirked over at Oswald, laughing, "I do still love how you look all tied up, though."

Tabs had given him plenty of information to use against Ed. Little things from her time being tortured by Ed. The whole key to this working, to breaking the Penguin, was that he had to believe it was really Edward. 

Oswald shook his head in disbelief. It looked like Ed, it sounded like Ed, even his laugh. He bit back the rage and sadness building in the pit of his stomach, trying to make sense of all of it. Something still seemed off, something as small as his inflection on his words. 

"N-No.  It can't be. There has to be some other explanation," Oswald stammered out, tears threatening to spill. There was just no way the past couple months had been fake. Maybe Ed was playing the other side, trying to get something out of Barb and Tabitha or to get smoke sort of payback with Butch. 

Barbara couldn't help but laugh, playing her part convincingly. "Aww, poor Ozzie. Did you really think someone could actually love you? That is just _precious_ ," she taunted, leaning in and pinching Oswald's cheek hard. "Think about it, Ozzie. All we had to do was make Edward here your dream boy and then wait for the right time to strike. And you fell for it. It was almost too easy." 

Oswald was fighting back tears, convinced that something else had to explain it. He just shook his head again, fingers gripping the arms of the chair hard. "So, then why torture Tabitha if he's in on it?" he questioned, hoping this all was a bad, bad dream.

Edward left Babs' side, coming closer to Oswald with a smug smile on his face. He cupped either side of Oswald's cheeks, making a little tsk tsk sound. "Oh, Ozzie. I guess you were gonna find out eventually. Tabitha and I are sort of a thing now. Have been for a little while. And wow, is that lady freaky!"

He pressed a mocking little kiss to Oswald's forehead before backhanding him right in the mouth. Ed laughed cruelly, continuing, "All those long nights down at the office? Any moment I was away from you? Where do you think I was? I was with her. And the torture? Oh, that was our foreplay..."

He shook his head, sighing, "You know, it really is sad that you thought I loved you. I mean, look at you. You're a freak. And an idiot, too, it seems." He made a disgusted sound, exchanging a look with Babs. "You know, Barbara, the worst part of all of this was having to kiss him."

Barbara was howling with laughter, savoring the look on Oswald's face. Everyone knew Ed was his one and only weakness now that his parents were gone. And lucky, lucky them, they had stumbled across little Basil while they were hiding Butch. They quickly discovered he was the fake Jim that Barbara had run into a few months back. All it took was a place to sleep, some food, a quick lay, and he was on board with the team. Once they had rescued Tabitha, Barbara was more than happy to call on Basil for a big, sweet favor.

Oswald was certain he could feel his heart breaking in his chest, his hopes rising with the little kiss to his forehead, only to be crushed with the harsh strike. He ran his tongue over his bleeding lip, closing his eyes a moment, a few tears slipping. Each word felt like a knife right in the chest. He felt sick to his stomach, trying his best to keep it together, to not let them win. 

"What exactly is it that you want?" Oswald finally snapped, hot, angry, heartbroken tears rolling down his cheeks. He couldn't figure out what they could possibly want to have put in that much effort. "You clearly don't want me dead or it would be done and over with by now." He was shaking, trying so impossibly hard to keep it together. 

Barbara smirked, leaning in and patting Oswald's cheeks. "That's the fun part Ozzie. See, we were just going to kill you. But that would be far too easy, sweetie. And we do owe you a little payback for Tabby," she cooed, pulling out her knife and holding it to Oswald's throat, pressing down just enough to cut, but not kill him. "So we're gonna break you. Make all of Gotham _despise_ you. And then run you out of town when we're done having our fun with you. But don't you worry, I'll take real good care of your empire."  

She looked to 'Ed', setting the knife in his hand before pressing a kiss to his cheek. "We'll be back _real_ soon, Pengy, promise." She chuckled nastily. "Wouldn't want to keep you from your alone time with lover boy, here," she added before backhanding Penguin hard across the face again. "You boys play nice." And with that, Barbara, Tabitha and Butch left, off to go toy with the real Ed. 

'Edward' smiled at the kiss on his cheek. Since being found by Barbara, he had been enjoying himself and life was going pretty damn well. She took good care of him - and all she asked was to help torture this little skinny bird guy? Done. He didn't really care much for that Butch fellow, but the ladies were fun. He would do anything to keep this life style going.  
  
Oswald couldn't even look at Ed. He took great pride in being able to talk himself out of almost any situation. But this? This was so different. He had been betrayed many times before, but never like this. "This can't be real. Tell me there's something I'm missing," he finally said, looking up at Ed with pleading eyes, hoping now that they were gone, Ed would let him go, they would go home and it would all have been some way to take the three of them down. Ed couldn't have faked it all, could he?

"Oh, it's very real. Sorry, you're not missing anything," Ed said with a shrug. He tapped the knife on Oswald's nose. "It's all pretty clear, isn't it? I string you along, make you fall in love with me, and now I get to help destroy you."  
  
He watched Oswald's tears with little care. He took the knife, slowly tracing their paths down his cheeks with the tip, just enough to draw bright spots of blood. He chuckled to himself, looking over to the table of tools the girls had set up for him. How sweet of them!

He set the knife down, reaching for a hammer. The real Ed wouldn't have cared much for such a blunt and primitive tool, but Clayface thought it work just fine. He turned back towards Oswald, smiling deviously. "How about we start with your hands?"  
  
Oswald hissed as he felt the knife trace down his face, trying to pull away but to no avail, he was strapped in far too tightly. Every word out of Ed's mouth hurt far worse than anything he could do to him physically, however. "What could you possibly be gaining from this?" Oswald questioned, the hurt and bitterness obvious in his voice. "You had all the power you could have possibly wanted. The freedom to do anything you pleased... why?" He couldn't make sense of it. Ed would have known Oswald would have done anything for him, it just wasn't adding up.

Oswald's eyes went wide when he saw the hammer, fighting hard against his restraints. He had seen Ed torturing someone before, never once had he seen him be so primitive. Maybe that was all a part of the act too. "Ed...no. Please...don't." he pleaded, looking up at the man he loved. How could he be so cruel? After everything they went through. "Please, just let me go."

Edward shook his head, mocking him in a nasty voice, "Why, why, why! It doesn't matter why!" He stared Oswald down, remembering back to everything Babs and Tabs had told him. There had to be something else he could use. It was almost sad in a way; this Ed guy sure was lucky to have someone like Oswald who obviously cared so much for him. Oh, well.  
  
"I can't let you go," Ed said. "Those ladies very much have their mind made up about putting a hurting on you. And you know, you really did bring this on yourself." Ed smirked, chucking as he added, "You did sort of beat my girlfriend to death. Or did you forget that?"

Ed raised the hammer, crashing down over Oswald's knuckles again and again. His chest was heaving, screaming loudly, "She was a beautiful girl. She was supposed to be my one true love, not you! Do you even remember her name?! Isabella! Isa - bell - uh!" 

Oswald was hurt, down to his very core. He felt like his heart was being torn to shreds. But the rage that was building, he couldn't hold it back. Especially not after the mention of that stupid little blonde harpy.  But before he could spit out that venom on the tip of his tongue, he felt the hammer crash down on his knuckles, letting out a loud scream. 

"Fuck!" he growled, eyes narrowing at Ed at the searing pain shot up his arm over and over with each blow. "This is all over Isabelle?" he questioned, letting out a loud, cold laugh. "I would do it again, knowing everything I know now. Only thing I would change is that I would kill her _far_ more slowly." 

Oswald's chest was heaving, panting heavily as he tried to work through the pain. He looked up at Ed with a nasty little smirk, shaking his head. "You would still be rotting away in Arkham if it wasn't for me. Maybe I should have left you there." He didn't mean a word of it. He wouldn't have left Ed there, even knowing this is where it would end up. Even as he felt that hammer breaking the bones in his hand over and over. He still loved him.

"Isabell-UH!" Ed corrected, laughing. He moved his aim upwards, cracking the hammer against Oswald's elbow. He could feel a crunch of bone and tossed the hammer aside. He was bored with it. Inside his thoughts, Clayface did feel a pang of hesitation. Arkham was a prison like Indian Hill. He wished he'd had someone that loved him like Oswald did, someone that would have come looking for him and saved him.

But no one had come looking for him, had they? No one came looking for Basil. He felt anger starting to boil up inside of him, suddenly furious at this Ed person, jealous and hateful of a man he never met. A man whose face he was wearing. 

With his bare hands, he began to hit Oswald. His face, his chest, his stomach. He didn't know how to stop. All of the anger that had built up inside of him over the years trapped at Indian Hill came boiling over and he found himself shouting, "Why did you leave me there so long?! Why!" 

With that last crack of the hammer against his elbow, Oswald began to slowly slip in and out of consciousness. The pain was just far too much for that tiny little body of his to handle. He fought hard to keep his eyes open, searching for words. But fuck, it was hard with Ed hitting him over and over. 

"Ed... I tried..." That was all Oswald could manage to get out before he finally succumbed to the pain, his body going limp in the chair. It was just too much and there was certain to be more whenever he awoke.  



	2. Falling Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taunted by Oswald’s captors, Edward gets a clue to rescue him and calls on Harvey Bullock and Jim Gordon to help him.

Edward hadn't been able to sleep; it had been almost two days now and there was still no sign of Oswald. He only rested was when his body forced him to, literally passing out from sheer exhaustion. This time he had managed to make it to the couch before fading out, waking up a few hours later with a startled jerk.

There was a blanket over him, a bottle of vodka and a small glass on the table next to him. He had no idea what time it was except that it was dark outside. He readjusted his glasses, sitting up with a sigh. Olga must have done this for him. Even as much as they hated each other, they both loved Oswald and had been worried. He poured himself a drink, raising the glass in a small toast to devious Russian maids.  
  
He downed the vodka, hissing at the sting, and poured another. His chest was aching, his eyes were sore from crying. He was absolutely sick with worry. No one had found anything. Not a trace. Victor Zsasz had been out with his girls prowling every inch of the city, but kept returning empty handed.  
  
Ed reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring. He hadn't been able to put it away, beating himself up over and over. He should have just asked Oswald to marry him while they were dancing, he shouldn't have waited. Now, he was gone... Vanished. Ed knew in his heart that someone had taken him. Oh, how their blood would run in the streets once he found out who was responsible. But first, he had to find Oswald.  
  
The house phone rang and he jumped at the sound. Maybe it was Oswald! Maybe someone had found him! He leapt up, snatching it quickly and demanding, "Hello? Who is this?"

Barbara had had a delightful two days, slowly but surely breaking down Oswald to nothing be a defeated little heap. Everything was going exactly as planned, now all that was left was to take Edward down as well and Gotham would be hers for the taking. 

She had made sure to take some videos on her cell phone, each one more pathetic than the last. Oswald was a bloody, defeated mess. Now was the time to screw with Ed. She was certain there was no way they could be found from the videos, making sure the building's interior couldn't be made out. She did make sure that Ed could see Clayface in the video, knowing they'd had brief run in together at Arkham.

"And here I thought that _adorable_ little maid of Ozzie's would answer." Barb laughed into the phone, knowing Ed would recognize her voice right away. "What a shame for you that Tabby didn't finish the job, huh? Are you missing a certain beaky little buddy of yours?" 

"Barbara?!" Edward spat out her name, his teeth grinding together. It was her; which no doubt meant Tabitha and Butch were in on it as well. He had certainly suspected them, but he never thought they would have had the manpower to attempt a move like this. He had been wrong, clearly. His eyes darted to his cell phone, fingers shaking as he picked it up. "I swear to you, whatever you have done to Oswald, I will revisit upon you a thousand times over."

Barb hit send on her cell phone, sending video after video to Ed's cell phone, able to hear that he had received them, smirking to herself as Oswald let out a particularly loud scream behind her. "I have to admit, he's definitely been doing better. Sounds like you got a couple messages there. Don't let me stop you, sweetie. You should _definitely_ check  those." 

Edward cringed hearing the scream, his heart breaking at the terrible sound. What were they doing to his love?! He's alive, Ed told himself. He's hurt, certainly, but screaming meant he was alive for now. He pushed play on his phone, his eyes wide with horror at what he saw as the videos rolled. It was him, hurting Oswald, but how?! He was watching himself beat Oswald, cutting into him, laughing at his lover's pleas for help. How the hell was this possible. He couldn't put it together just yet, too shocked at what he was seeing.  
Ed felt nauseous, on the verge of tears. Oswald, his love, his poor baby. Ed felt completely lost, his soul tearing itself apart. But his anger, the darkness inside of him, was pooling up and taking over. 

"You're dead," Ed seethed. "You're all fucking dead! You think what I did to Tabitha was painful?! I will slip your skin off one piece at a time with my teeth and I will use your hair to stitch it together and I will wear it as a suit to your funeral once I've finally allowed you mercy and let you die!"

Barbara was able to hear the videos playing, able to hear Ed's breathing change. It felt so sickeningly good knowing just how angry it was making him. She merely laughed at his threats, twirling a piece of blonde hair between her fingertips. 

"Well, it's been two whole days and you haven't been able to find us yet, so I'm not _too_ worried," she mocked, walking over to where Ozzie was tied down, pulling out her camera again. "Smile, boys," she cooed, snapping a picture of a bloodied and defeated Oswald and 'Ed'.

After hitting send again, she turned her attention back to the real Ed on the phone. "It's amazing how you can be two places at once, isn't it? Isn't he just the cutest all bloody and heartbroken?" she taunted, completely unafraid of what repercussions may come her way, confident they wouldn't be found. 

Edward's eyes widened at the picture as it came through. His precious love, the light of his life... What had they been doing to him?! That other Ed, no doubt that face melting fiend from Arkham, telling Oswald that he didn't love him? Making him think that it was really him doing this? Oswald must be so scared, so hurt. Ed howled with rage, hurling the cell phone across the room. His whole body was trembling with anger, gripping the receiver of the house phone so tightly he thought he might snap it in half. Barbara's laughter only enraged him further, her taunting was completely maddening. 

Barb took a few steps away so Oswald couldn't hear her, not that he was doing much listening, too busy begging for them to just stop. "I'd say he can maybe take another day of this, two if you're really lucky. Better hurry if you want your lover boy home in one piece. Although, he's pretty terrified of you now. You should have seen his face every time you told him you didn't love him! It's been so priceless." She was howling with laughter, grinning ear to ear. "Don't worry, we'll send his body home when it's all over, not that you'll be around too long to say goodbye. Nice chat, Eddie." 

"I am going to find you," Edward promised her, swallowing back angry tears. He couldn't take much more of this. He had to get Oswald home safely. He had to save him. "If it's the last thing I ever do, I will make you suffer for everything that you've done to Oswald. I will make you watch as Butch and Tabitha die, I will make sure you live long enough to see the light fading from their eyes." He was panting, sweat beading up on his forehead as his temper flared. "The last thing you will ever see is my smiling face as I choke the life out of you!" 

Barbara shook her head, smiling wide. Ed's threats didn't phase her all, overconfident in her hiding space. So confident that she didn't think twice about the sound of a ship passing in the background, its horn blowing loudly, giving away that they were somewhere on the docks. "We'll see about that, sweetie," she mused, leaning back against one of the support beams. "Tick tock, Eddie. Tick tock." 

With that, she hung up the phone. She walked over to Oswald, hooking a finger in his mouth, forcing him to smile as she pressed her cheek against his and snapped another picture to send to Ed. Oswald was far too weak to fight back at that point, weakly trying to pull his head away to no avail. 

Hitting send, Barbara slid her phone into her pocket, smug and satisfied with herself as she made her way over to Tabitha. She looped an arm around her waist, giggling, "He might be even more fun to toy with than our sweet little Ozzie."

Ed slammed the phone into the receiver again and again, roaring with frustration. He heard the ding of his cell phone and hurried across the room to where he had thrown it. He saw the picture, his breath catching in his throat. His fingers reached out and touched his lover's face on the screen, tears working their way out as he whispered, "Don't worry, Ozzie. I _will_ find you."

His keen ears had picked up the sound of the ship passing, eyes glancing up at the clock. It was a little after two in the morning; they were near the docks. The ship was large, some sort of freight? His brain went into overdrive, thinking, thinking. What ship would be coming into port this late, where, what would they be delivering. If they were at the docks, why hadn't Zsasz found them? Ed knew they had been looking down there.

He returned to the couch, grabbing the bottle of vodka and taking a swig. Fuck, come on, Edward. You and Zsasz searched the docks. But you know that they are there. The ship, the ship had to be the key. It was all he had. Where could they be? He was pacing, drinking, trying to put it together.

Suddenly, it clicked. He knew exactly what ship he had heard. He knew the name of the company and he even knew what they did. Cole Industries, a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises. The company moved cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, merchandise; all of the stolen variety for the police impound lot at the docks. They would dock every day at two in the morning to pick up vehicles to move to another impound lot down south. Ed remembered the schedule from when he still worked at the GCPD.

No wonder they didn't find them! That place was crawling with cops at all times. The impound lot was locked up tight and under constant watch. It was the one of the few places that he and Zsasz had not been able to check. Babs had greatly improved her connections to be able to get in there.

That was fine; Ed had his own connections, even though they may not be so willing at this hour. Grabbing his coat and headed to the door, Ed wasn't going to give them much of a choice.

Harvey and Jim were tangled up together on the couch, several drinks in and clothes off all over the floor. They had been staying close to home lately, living on bad take-out and passionate evenings at each other's apartments. They had been trying to watch a movie tonight, but Harvey always did have trouble keeping his hands to himself. 

Jim was the happiest he had been in a long time. Things were going surprisingly well between he and Harvey, things weren't going too horribly wrong at work. All in all, he couldn't complain. He and Harvey had finished their shift and had headed back to Jim's place for the night. While it was stressful, there were definitely perks to Harvey being the acting Captain for a while, like almost always being able to go home at the same time. 

Of course, because of all the extra stress, they were going at it like rabbits even more so than usual. Jim had been starting to doze off while they were watching a movie, but Harvey's roaming hands woke him right back up.  
The film long forgotten, one thing led to another and Harvey was soon laid back on the sofa with Jim climbing on top of him.  Harvey groaned happily as his partner eased himself down onto his awaiting cock. It was such a tight fit; Harvey loved how eager Jim was to take it all in. His hands were holding Jim's hips, rocking him back and forth as he began to ride him in a slow, sexy rhythm. 

Harvey stared up at Jim, admiring the beauty of his Adonis like body moving on top of him. "Fuck, you're so goddamn hot, boy," he said, grunting pleasurably. He could have laid like this forever, letting Jim work him over, but it just wasn't going to be their night. There was knocking at the door; rapid, loud, and very impatient.

"Oh, what the fuck!" Harvey moaned, fingertips digging into Jim's hips. He whined in frustration, glancing at his watch. "It's like fucking three in the fucking morning, the fuck!"

Jim had been so caught up in the feeling of Harvey's cock buried deep inside of him that he damn near jumped out of his skin at the loud knock. He bent down, burying his face in his partner's shoulder, letting out an annoyed groan.  
The knocking continued and Harvey glared up at him. "Don't you dare answer it."

Jim knew he couldn't ignore it. He sighed, pulling back and giving Harvey a quick kiss. "Five minutes. I'll make it up to you, promise." he murmured against his lips, nuzzling his nose against his scruffy cheek before reluctantly peeling himself away. 

Jim quickly tugged his pants back on, tossing a blanket in Harvey's direction. He pulled his undershirt over his head as he walked over to the door.  
Harvey pouted, calling after him, "You'd fucking better!" He pulled the blanket over himself, grumbling down at the tent it created over his lap with his raging hard on as the pole. He sighed, reaching for a beer he had forgotten about and taking a slug.

The loud knocking was only getting more persistent, leaving Jim thoroughly annoyed. He quickly yanked the door open, seeing a very disheveled Ed standing there. He could smell the vodka before Ed even let himself in, Jim putting out a hand to stop him from wandering too far. "Nygma? It's three in the morning. What the hell are you doing here?" he questioned, annoyed that Ed was even in his apartment in the first place. 

Harvey nearly gagged when he heard Jim's voice, realizing he was talking to Edward Nygma. He stood up, blanket haphazardly wrapped around himself as he started towards the door. This had to mean trouble.

"Detective Gordon," Ed began, ignoring Jim's hand and shoving right past him into the apartment. He didn't care that he was barging into a cop's place at some crazy hour. All that mattered was getting Oswald back and he was desperate. "I need your help. They've taken him, they took Oswald and they've been torturing him for almost two days. I don't know how much longer he'll last. He is very injured. You must help me."

"Whoa, whoa!" Harvey snapped as he joined Gordon's side. He tried to cover himself a little better with the blanket, growling, "We don't have to do a fucking thing!" He glared at Ed, in total disbelief at the balls he had to show up like this. "Why don't you wait until morning and take your little squirrelly ass down to the precinct and file a report? Like a normal fucking person?"

Jim could almost immediately tell something had to be seriously wrong for Ed to show up at his door in the middle of the night and barge in like that. Red flags were already rising up. As he was processing everything,  Harvey was suddenly by his side, not wearing any pants. Jim sighed, running a hand over his face, letting Harvey vent his frustrations; probably wasn't the best idea. **  
**Ed was already on that edge, his mind threatening to shatter at any moment.

Edward lunged at Harvey, screaming, "Are you deaf as well as incompetent, you bloated sack of feces?! They are going to kill him unless we do something!"

Jim was quick to drag Ed away from Harvey, standing firm between them, one hand keeping a firm grip on Ed's arm, the other hand going behind him to rest against Harvey's chest, giving him a pleading look to please play nice. "Ed, slow down. Take a breath," he advised, trying to convince Ed that he was willing to hear him out. 

Once things seemed to calm down, Jim let out a heavy sigh. "Alright. Who has Oswald? How do you know he's hurt? We're gonna need some more details. And Jesus Christ, Harvey, go put on some pants." Jim knew he couldn't just ignore Ed if he was serious. Sure, Oswald was a big time criminal, but Jim did owe him a favor.

"Bullshit!" Harvey threw his hands up in the air, frustrated that Jim was even listening to any of this. "I fucking hate you," he snapped at Ed, horny and pissed. The blanket had dropped to the floor and Harvey was literally showing his ass, flipping Ed off as he headed back towards the couch to find his pants.

Ed was nearly seething, but struggled to keep up his composure. "Barbara Kean, Tabitha Galavan, Butch Gilzean. They havehim. He's been missing since the night of the charity ball at Wayne Manor." He held up a slightly battered cell phone, showing Jim the picture of a bleeding Oswald with Barbara. He let Jim take it so he could see what else Barbara had sent him.   
Jim took a look at the phone when Ed held it up to him, groaning when he saw that he wasn't making it up. Barbara certainly had Oswald and he didn't look like he would make it much longer. 

"She gave me videos, videos of what they've done to him. I need..." Ed shook his head, overcome with emotion, trying to speak clearly. "I need your help. They are keeping him at the police impound lot at the south docks. The officers guarding it are certainly on their pay roll and I cannot gain access on my own."

Jim scrolled through the phone, looking baffled when he saw what looked to be Ed in the videos beating the ever loving shit out of Oswald. But as he watched the videos, he realized very quickly that it couldn't be Ed. He had dealt with Ed's particular style of violence before and that definitely wasn't it. He had also seen Ed acting upset and Ed genuinely upset; this was certainly genuine.

Harvey returned with pants, slipping his glasses on as Jim turned the phone on him so he could see. He squinted at the cell phone picture, grunting, "Shit. They really did a number on him, huh." He let out a low whistle, snorting, "So, what. What makes you fucking think we're going to help? Not any of our damn business!"   


"Detectives, may I please remind you, that Oswald Cobblepot is still your mayor!" Edward snarled. "You have a duty to protect and-"

"I sure as fuck didn't vote for him!" Harvey countered rudely. He looked back at Jim, his eyes pleading for support. For once, just maybe, Jim would side with him. 

Jim rolled his eyes as Harvey huffed, giving him the look. The look Harvey knew all too well. It was the _I'm Jim Gordon and I can't just walk away_ look. 

Harvey groaned out loud, running his hands over his face in frustration. He already knew it, there would be no happy ending for tonight. Nope. He threw his hands up, snapping annoyedly, "Well, how do you even know for sure he's being held down there at the lot?"

"Because," Edward groaned impatiently, "Cole Industries has the contract with the city and they're the only ones that would be operating in that area of the docks between one forty five and two o'clock, probably a small multi-purpose vessel. It was three short blasts, indicating the engine was in reverse and-"  
"English?" Harvey pleaded, clearly confused.

Jim zoomed in on the background of one of the videos, noticing a car he had personally had impounded. "That's definitely where they have him. I sent that car in myself," he said, shaking his head and letting out a long sigh. He held up a hand to Ed, motioning for him to stay put as he dragged Harvey aside to talk to him.

"That's not Ed in the video. He's not faking freaking out. We never caught the fake me from Indian Hill. I think that might be him," Jim explained quietly, taking Harvey's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, knowing he was none too happy with him. "It's pretty open and shut, we have everything we need to send them all to Arkham right on the spot. Ed isn't exactly my favorite person either, but I owe Oswald a favor. You know he's our least worst option. Please, can we just go and check it out?"

Jim was not above using the other look, that adorable, big toothy grin and all big blue eyes look. Harvey very rarely said no to _that_ look, if ever. "I'll make it up to you. I'll even give the next surprise case that you want me to walk away from to Alvarez,  promise. Pleeeaase?" Jim added with a pout. 

As soon as saw the way Harvey looked all huffy and annoyed, he knew he had won. He pressed a sweet, lingering kiss to Harvey's lips, figuring Ed couldn't see them. 

Harvey groaned and started to curse, but his complaining was quickly muffled by Jim's sweet kiss. That damn puppy dog look worked every fucking time. Harvey was such a sucker for it; and deep down, he knew this was the right thing to do. Oswald was still their mayor after all and the scandal of a kidnapping was not something Gotham needed right now. That little trio was nothing but trouble and they all would sleep better with their asses locked away in Arkham. Harvey certainly wished Ed would join them there, but that was a fight for another day.

"Next _three_ surprise cases," Harvey countered as he broke away from Jim's lips, smacking his ass hard enough for it to sting; just you know, to show him that he was still pissed at him for dragging him into this. "And a damn blowjob while I eat a fucking dozen doughnuts!"

Jim couldn't help but grin triumphantly, chuckling softly at Harvey's counter offer, jumping a bit and rubbing at his ass after his boyfriend slapped it hard enough to undoubtedly leave a handprint. "Alright, alright. Next three surprise cases and a blowjob while you eat as many doughnuts as your heart desires," he mused, leaning in and nipping at Harvey's ear, his lips brushing against it as he spoke. "Maybe even a one free 'Jim Gordon will do anything you want in bed.'" 

"You got yourself a deal! Careful, boy scout. I've got one hell of a fucked up imagination." He waggled his eyebrows carefully, trying to stay in a good mood. He didn't like any of this. If Ed was right, they were about to walk into a giant barrel full of monkey crazy. 

"We'll go check things out, okay, Ed?" Jim quickly reassured the tall man, "Just give us a second to get ready, okay? Hold tight."

Edward scowled, but relief was washing over him. He was so grateful, but his patience was incredibly thin. He gritted his teeth, glancing at his watch repeatedly. There was no time to spare. Hang on a little longer, Ozzie, he thought to himself. Just a little more. 

Harvey left Jim's side to go get dressed, picking up the rest of his clothes from where he has thrown them on the living room floor. He knew he'd follow Jim to hell and back if he ever asked him, even though he would complain the entire trip; what was a little drive down to the impound currently occupied by a bunch of crazy people? He got suited up, running his fingers through his hair and sighing.

Jim headed to his bedroom, making quick work of getting dressed. He didn't bother with his usual suits, it was ridiculously inconvenient timing. He simply threw on a pair of dark jeans, a dark gray v-neck and grabbed his leather jacket. After he was dressed, he slipped on a pair of shoes and grabbed his badge, gun and handcuffs.

Edward was already hanging at the door, ready to go. His heart was racing; they needed to hurry. "Come along, detectives," he urged impatiently. "We must go immediately!"

Hearing Ed urging them along, Jim sighed to himself, grabbing his keys on the way out to the living room, quickly running a hand through his hair as he passed a mirror, still looking quite disheveled from Harvey tugging at his hair. He paused, noticing a couple hickies on his neck. They really were starting to get a little careless.

There was a little part inside of Jim that secretly loved the way Harvey would mark him up, loving the way it clearly displayed that Jim was a happily taken man. 

Harvey was checking his gun, making sure it was loaded and ready to rock. He smirked when he saw Jim checking out his hickeys in the mirror. Perhaps he had been getting a little bit carried away lately, but it was so hard to control himself with Jim. Everything was so intense and passionate. This thing that they had together, a relationship or fuck buddies or whatever it was? It was the happiest he had ever felt.

As he passed Harvey, Jim stole one more quick kiss, reaching up and giving his hair a playful little tug. He picked up his hat from the rack by the door, placing it on top of his head for him.

Harvey smiled, returning the little kiss and adjusting his hat after Jim plopped it on his head. He took a deep breath, trying to be cheerful and exclaiming, "Let's fucking do this!"

Harvey followed Jim out, watching him lock up and letting him take the lead. He put Ed right between them so he could keep an eye on him as they walked out to the car. He didn't trust that skinny shit as far as he could throw him. 

It didn't go unnoticed the way Harvey was making damn sure Ed couldn't do a thing to Jim as they walked to the car. Harvey had always been protective of him, but Jim certainly noticed that he was being more protective every day that passed with whatever it was that was going on between them. Jim could certainly handle himself, but it gave him that ridiculous butterfly feeling in his stomach. 

Once they reached the car, Jim opened the back door for Ed, unsure about whether or not he would let him out when they got there as for behind the wheel. He waited for Harvey to get in and buckled up, cranking the engine.

"Ed, I know you're emotionally involved in this and you have every reason to snap on them, but stay back and let us handle this," Jim warned as he pulled out, making the short drive over to the impound warehouse, looking up at him in the rearview mirror for a moment.  "One dumb move and you're headed right back to Arkham with them, understand? I owe Penguin, not you." 

While Jim kind of felt bad for Edward, knowing that he genuinely did love Oswald. If the roles were reversed and Harvey was the one trapped in that warehouse, he probably wouldn't be able to keep his cool. But even though they were far more civil than they had been since Jim was framed, he still hadn't forgiven Ed for almost destroying his life.

Edward scowled from the back seat as Jim lectured him. He was in no mood for Jim's good boy rhetoric, his voice strained as he said, "Understand that my only concern is to save Oswald. I will not allow any further harm to come to him and God help anyone who gets in my way." He crossed his arms, foot tapping against the floor. It wasn't that far to the docks, but fuck, did it feel like it was taking forever right now. "Should the worse happen... And I am unable to save him... Trying to take me in to Arkham will be the least of your worries.”

Jim couldn't help the frustrated sigh that spilled out at Edward's response, turning in towards the docks. He turned the headlights off, parking on the far end of the building where they wouldn't be seen. His eyes roamed over the building, spotting only two officers guarding the door. _More corrupt cops._ He turned his attention to Ed again, mulling it over for a moment before deciding he was too big of a risk. 

"You're staying put, then. I'm sorry." Jim nodded, thankful for the steel mesh cage between them. Ed wasn't going to be happy, but he and Harvey didn't need one more thing to worry about. Edward was becoming too unhinged to be trusted to stay calm or rational. Sure, they were outnumbered six to two, but they had handled worse. The only way Ed would be able to get out of the car would be for him to take out the back windshield, and Jim was confident he didn't possess the strength. 

"Just keep quiet and don't draw any attention to yourself or us. I promise, we'll be back with Oswald." Jim wanted to promise they would be back with him alive, but he couldn't guarantee that. He looked to Harvey, pulling the keys from the ignition and getting out of the car with Harvey, ignoring a violently furious Edward. 

"This is not wise," Edward hissed, fingers snaking into the mesh of the cage and giving it a hard shake. He gritted his teeth, seething with rage. He had to get out of here. He couldn't trust that Jim and Harvey would put Oswald's safety as a priority. What if they were already too late? He glared at Jim, his voice a dangerous whisper as he snarled, "If anything happens to Oswald while I'm trapped in here, I will make you both pay so very dearly! You will never-"

"Yeah, yeah," Harvey said, rolling his eyes and smacking at Ed's fingers in the cage. "You just sit tight, buttercup." He ignored Ed's growling, more than enjoying the satisfaction of slamming the door on his screaming. 

They made their way towards the warehouse, both watching each other's backs, careful not to draw any attention their way. When they made it to the other officers, Jim and Harvey were both quick to knock the scumbags out, managing to do so without any obvious noise, quickly cuffing them before heading towards the door. Jim could hear Oswald screaming, wincing at the sound.

Jim looked to Harvey, drawing his gun, his voice quiet as he spoke. "Be careful. If fake Ed decides to change his face into one of us, lose your hat and I'll toss my badge, okay?" 

Harvey took a deep breath, gun in his hands and fingers curling tight around the grip. He nodded, whispering back, "You got it. If it's anything like dealing with him before, he'll probably just tuck tail and run. It's the girls and Butch I'm worried about... Now, you follow my lead."

It was true that the closer he and Jim got, Harvey was getting more protective. He had started insisting on taking point more and more; and Harvey refused take "no" for an answer. 

Jim nodded in agreement, knowing better than to argue with Harvey right then. There was a lot of little battles Jim could win with a simple pout or a pleading look. But the closer they got, the more insistent Harvey was becoming on keeping Jim's inability to back down and hero complex in check. 

Harvey took a big breath, body tensing up. The adrenaline was already soaring through his veins and he reared back, kicking the door open and lunging forward, screaming out loud, "GCPD, everybody put your motherfuckin' hands up where I can fucking see them!"

Jim's heart started pounding when Harvey busted the door down, rushing in behind him, shouting out "GCPD!" 

Barbara's attention quickly snapped to the door, eyes narrowing for a moment when she saw Jim and that big ape of a partner. She quickly drew her gun, offering a sickeningly sweet smile Jim's way. "Oh hey, Jim. Fancy meeting you here!" she called out, watching closely as Jim and Harvey slowly approached

Butch stood his ground beside Barbara and Tabitha, gun drawn and ready to fight. Tabitha's many wounds from her weeks of torture were heavily dressed, but she appeared completely ready for battle, her whip hanging by her side.  
Clayface, still in Edward's form, was off to the side, slowly backing away from them all. He owed the girls a lot, it was true, but he wasn't sure he was willing to risk taking on those damn detectives again. 

Oswald was barely conscious, broken, bloodied, and bruised. His breathing was becoming shallow, fighting his hardest to just stay alive. His ears were ringing, head pounding, one more severe blow from fading away entirely. But he heard a familiar voice, his eyes fluttering open, struggling to lift his head. But there he was; Jim Gordon. The only person he could remotely trust. "Help me. Please," he pleaded, voice weak. 

Jim felt a sharp pang of guilt and pity in the pit of his stomach as he heard Oswald's weak plea, feeling guilty that they hadn't gotten there sooner. His eyes scanned back and forth over his opponents, pausing when he saw Edward with them. He knew damn well they had left Ed back in the car; Clayface. 

"You just can't stay away, can you, babe?" Barbara gushed. "I'm gonna guess you're here for our sweet little Pengy? When are you gonna learn, you can't save everyone?" 

Jim gritted his teeth, growing more and more furious with Barb's never ending taunting. "Barbara, just stand down and make this easier on yourselves. Let him go," he warned, inching closer and closer. 

Barb just laughed, shaking her head and smirking. "Not a chance. Time to say goodbye," she cackled, pointing her gun at Oswald. "It's been an absolute _blast_ , Ozzie. But looks like play time is over." 

As her finger went to pull the trigger, Jim's instincts kicked in, charging towards Oswald and diving right at him. He made it just in time to get Oswald out of the way, the bullet hitting him right in the side, just below his ribcage. He let out a loud shout, feeling the pain quickly spreading throughout his abdomen.  

"Jim!" Harvey screamed in a panic, his heart jumping into his throat when he saw Jim go down. He felt sick, like he was going to throw up. No, no, no. Not Jimmy, not like this. "Fuck!" Everything happened so fast, Harvey barely had time to react. He nearly choked on his own breath, snarling furiously. He had never felt such anguish and rage before. He saw Butch taking aim to finish off Jim, firing off two shots and taking out both of the big man's knees. 

Oswald was freed from his restraints when the wooden chair had shattered as Jim tackled him. He could hardly move, but he shifted enough to hide his tiny body behind Jim, ducking down low.

Jim didn't let his wound stop him from joining the fight, quickly shooting Butch in the shoulder when he tried to get back up. 

Barbara had ducked behind the table of torture implements, trying to get Butch to cover. She popped up, firing wildly at Harvey, furious for her friend's injuries. Jim took aim again, firing at Barb and hitting her in the leg and arm, forcing her to drop her gun. 

Harvey was there in a flash, kicking the gun away from Barbara and giving Butch a swift kick in the face to keep him down. He didn't even notice Clayface skulking back into a corner, too busy trying to wrangle a pair of handcuffs on Butch.

Jim made an attempt to crawl away with Oswald, in far too much pain to stand. But before he could make it more than a few inches, he felt Tabitha's whip wrap tightly around his throat. He gasped for air, his gun clattering to the floor as he clawed at his neck.

Tabitha kept her grip on Jim's neck tight, screaming in rage as she tried to drag him across the floor and choke the life out of him. All she could see was red; anger, fury, all the blood spilling out of her friends as they lay wounded. She couldn't believe it; how had they been found!

Harvey aimed his gun, no hesitation, firing off two shots at Tabitha's shoulder and chest. She cried out, the whip falling away and it began uncoiling from Jim's neck. Gun still at the ready and his eyes never leaving any of those scum bags, Harvey rushed to Jim's side and pulled the whip from around his neck. His hand found the wound where he had been shot, pressing down tightly as blood bubbled up over his fingers. Shit, shit, shit!

"Hang on, partner!" Harvey said, trying to stay strong, trying not to panic. His heart was aching to see him like this. He grabbed Jim's hand, squeezing it tight before guiding it over to the source of the bleeding. "I need you to press here real tight, okay? Hold it fucking right there and do not let go. I gotta call this in." **  
**Harvey grabbed for his cellphone, dialing and yelling desperately as the operator answered, "Dispatch! Need immediate medical assistance! Officer down at the south docks impound lot! Lots of very unfriendly people, need backup like fucking yesterday! I repeat, officer down!"

Jim winced and hissed harshly as Harvey pressed down on the wound, but gave a little squeeze back when he grabbed his hand, doing as he was told and pressing down as firmly as he could. "I'll be fine," he tried to assured his partner. "Promise."

Back out at Jim's car, Ed had decided he was definitely no longer staying put. He could heard the gunshots and he feared the worst. From his pocket, he brought out a small set of tools. He was perfectly prepared for everything and he had already anticipated the possibility of Jim and Harvey trying to ditch him. A small specialized hammer was just perfect for knocking out the glass of the back window. He snaked his way through, droppingto the ground and carefully making his way towards the building.

Ed had heard the last of bullets flying and the calm that followed. He slipped in, eyes wide when he saw his precious Oswald on the floor. He ran to his side, not even caring if the scene was truly secure. Babs and the rest of them didn't even exist at that moment; he just wanted his boyfriend in his arms. He practically threw himself down beside Oswald, trying to reach for his hands, crying, "Ozzie! I'm here, I'm so sorry I took so long to find you, I'm here now!"

Oswald was just barely hanging on by a thread, sprawled out on the ground next to Jim, starting to lose the fight. His eyes were open, but he was having a hard time processing everything going on around him, far too weak and in far too much pain. That was until the real Ed showed up at his side. 

Oswald shouted when Ed tried to grab his hands, his left arm and hand shattered from the hammer. His eyes went wide, whimpering as he recoiled from Ed, hiding in Jim's side, immediately bursting into tears, the complete and utter terror written all over his face. "Don't touch me!" he pleaded, his tiny body beginning to tremble. "Go away." 

Oswald was so out of it that he couldn't notice that the real Edward was wearing an entirely different outfit, that there was no blood on him at all, and that there was no way he could have disappeared and reappeared so fast from the other end of the building. All he knew was that the man he loved more than anything in the world had spent the past two days physically and mentally destroying him. "Please, you've done enough. Just stop,"  he sobbed, unable to even look at Edward.

Jim couldn't focus enough to explain to Oswald what was happening, that there were two Eds, just like there had been two of himself not long ago. Even if he could, he wasn't sure Oswald would be able to really understand. The man was a wreck. He glanced down as Oswald buried himself against his side, actually feeling bad for him; maybe even Ed in that moment. He rested his free hand gently on Oswald's shoulder, attempting to reassure him he would be okay. "You're safe. He won't hurt you," he managed to get out through labored breaths.

Harvey was still screaming into his phone, trying to get help here. He didn't stop, voice hoarse and ragged, until he heard sirens in the distance. He let his phone drop in relief, his hands taking over trying to stop the flow of blood from Jim's side. "Yup, you're goddamn right you're fine," Harvey said, panting as he tried to keep his grip as tight as humanly possible. His eyes flickered over to Oswald, watching him trying burrow into Jim's side when Ed attempted to comfort him. Fuck, what a mess. 

Jim bit down on his lip hard as Harvey pressed down hard on his side, letting out a few heavy, labored breaths before offering him a weak little smile hoping to assure his partner he would pull through. He did his best to comfort Oswald, never pulling his hand away from his shoulder, feeling his heaving sobs get heavier heavier.   
  
Ed recoiled from his lover, each word cutting straight into his heart. He stared down at his hands, looking back towards his love as he tried to comprehend what was happening. That monster Clayface, Barbara. They were to blame for this. "Oswald, please..." His eyes began to fill with tears, his soul shattering to see such fear, such disgust. He had been so sick with worry! All he wanted was to hold him, to kiss his cheeks and wipe the blood away. But Oswald couldn't even stand the sight of him. "It wasn't... It wasn't me!"  

Oswald just grew more confused and fearful with each word from Ed. Did he not remember the last two days? He sounded genuine, but then again, Oswald thought everything they had shared together was genuine, so maybe he didn't know him at all. Each word cut like a knife all over again, leaving Oswald even worse off. "Please stop," he begged, his heart not able to handle the back and forth anymore. 

Ed stood up, his hands pressed against his face as he fought back sobs. His breath was gasping, almost howling. His cries began to twist into laughter. Wild and insane laughter. 

Jim felt a wave of relief wash over him as he heard the sirens getting closer, glad this would all be over soon. But he felt sick to his stomach when he heard Ed's laughter.  He knew that laugh. He had reached his breaking point. **  
**Edward threw his hands to his sides, his eyes finding Barbara bleeding on the floor. "This is what you wanted? This was your great plan?!" He leapt on top of her, fingers snatching up that pretty blonde hair.

Ed began to slam her face into the floor with bone crunching force, enough times to stun her before seizing her around her neck. He pressed his mouth against her ear, hissing, "I told you the last thing you'd ever know was me smiling, while your friends bled out all around you, choking every last breath from you!"

"Shit! Harvey, get Ed!" Jim warned, eyes wide as he watched him strangle her, hearing her choking for air. 

Oswald lifted his head just enough to peek over Jim's side, watching as Ed tried to kill Barbara. They were best friends ten minutes ago. What had changed? It was all making less and less sense, everything finally just too much for Oswald, passing out again.

"Ah, fuck!" Harvey grumbled. He touched Jim's cheek with a sigh, making sure his partner was holding good pressure on his wound before jumping up to go grab Ed. The other officers and paramedics hadn't arrived yet. It probably wouldn't look too good for the Chief of Staff to be throttling a suspect. "Come on, Ed," he said, trying to pry the thinner man's arms off. "Okay, that's enough. Playtime is over!"

Ed's eyes were dark, completely lost in the rage that had consumed him. He had no intentions of letting go until every last breath was choked out of this vile woman. Oswald was terrified of him. His love, the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, couldn't even stand his touch or the sound of his voice. Why didn't he ask him that night, why didn't he just go ahead and give him the ring. Everything was falling apart. 

Underneath his anger, Ed was weakening. It was getting harder to fight. He could feel hot tears sliding silently down his cheeks and he knew his heart was breaking.

"Let go! Fuck, he's got like that stupid crazy man strength!" Harvey grunted as he tried unsuccessfully to pull Ed's hands away. Exasperated, he finally grabbed Ed around his waist, plucking him off Barbara and bear hugging him tight like a child. 

"Listen!" Harvey hissed in his ear. "This is not how you fix this, okay?!" There was a pang of sympathy in him for Ed. Even as much as he hated the little freak, this was supremely fucked up. "You can't help Oswald if you're locked up in Arkham with these shit heads, you hearing me?"

Ed struggled for a moment, but his body slowly went limp. Harvey was just too strong and he couldn't get free. He nodded silently, waiting for Harvey to finally set him down. He brushed himself off, his eyes finding his beloved Oswald passed out on the floor next to Jim. He was filled with a renewed sense of rage, turning his attention back to Barbara and starting kicking her hard in the side. "I am going to fucking kill you!"

"Dammit, Ed!" Harvey yelled, grabbing him up again. This time, Harvey wasn't going to let go until the rest of their back up was here and Barbara was in the back of a fucking squad car **.** He groaned in frustration, glaring down at Barbara. 

The little psycho did also shoot Jim, she definitely deserved it. Harvey gave her a hard kick of his own, for, you know, personal reasons. He managed a weak smile down at Jim, saying, "You know this means like two dozen doughnuts, right?"

Jim laughed, quickly letting out a little groan. Fuck, that hurt. "Fine, two dozen."  

Thankfully, it wasn't much longer before backup and paramedics arrived. When they came to Jim first, he shook his head, motioning to Oswald, who clearly needed more attention than he did. The paramedics were quick to load up the gravely injured mayor, getting him in the back of an ambulance. 

More medical staff arrived, set to work taking Butch, Tabitha and Barbara into custody. Defeated, bloody, none of them put up much of a fight. The gears in Barbara's mind were already starting to turn. She refused to accept she would be sent back to Arkham again. As far as she was concerned, the ambulance she was being loaded into wasn't going to make it to the hospital.

Another set of paramedics finally made their way over to Jim, tending to his wounds and quickly preparing to move him. 

As Jim was hoisted up on the stretcher, he glanced over at Harvey. "Make sure they let Ed go with Oswald, will ya? They've both had a hard enough night," he insisted, giving a weak little puppy dog look. He was definitely starting to get a bit woozy from the blood loss, but he was Jim Gordon, he would pull through. He had seen Oswald take a beating plenty of times, but he wasn't so certain he would bounce right back from this one.

"You got it," Harvey said, taking Jim's hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can. Your acting captain has a big ol' mess to clean up." He hesitated for a few seconds, his thumb running along Jim's palm. He knew they had quite the crowd all around them, but he didn't care. He could have lost Jim if the fire fight hadn't ended in their favor.

Fuck it. He leaned close, kissing Jim hard. Let them all fucking look. Harvey had never been terrified as he had been when he saw Jim take that bullet. If Barbara's aim has been any different... No, Harvey didn't even want to think about it.

Jim let out a little gasp of surprise. Even with all the blood he'd lost, there was still enough to make his cheeks run hot. He could feel them being stared at, but he soon didn't care. He kissed Harvey back, hard, threading his fingers through that ginger hair.

Harvey cupped the sides of his face, sighing against his lips. He hated seeing him like this. He knew it wasn't a mortal wound, but all the same he fucking hated seeing Jim hurt. He pulled away, looking his partner right in the eye as he said, "Just as soon as I can, I fucking promise, I'll be there."

"I know," Jim said, smiling softly. He reached up and playfully tipped the brim of Harvey's hat. "You always are." 

Harvey watched the ambulance take Jim away, only when it was safely on its way did he leave to find. Edward was already bickering with the paramedics caring for Oswald and trying to get into the back of the ambulance, refusing to let them leave without him. "Hey, hey!" Harvey called out, waving at them. "You let the Chief of Staff accompany our mayor to the hospital, all right? Captain's orders and all that shit." 

Edward flashed Harvey a small look of gratitude, quickly scrambling up into the emergency vehicle to join his boyfriend.

Harvey looked back around the room, eyes moving over all the different people milling about, it was then that he realized that Clayface was nowhere to be seen. Well, there wasn't a second Ed running around at least. There was no telling where he had escaped to or with what face. "And, hey, make sure that there is a police detail right outside that hospital room twenty-four fucking seven."

Harvey couldn't be sure that Clayface wouldn't return to finish the job, who the fuck knew how deep he was in with Babs and company. He watched the ambulances finish loading up and drive away, already being bombarded with a shit ton of questions he didn't exactly have the answers for. He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. This was gonna be a long fucking night. Fuck.

Edward sat in the back of the ambulance, the siren wailing and drowning out some of his thoughts. He watched the medics work on Oswald, putting in IV's and taping up some of his wounds. His love was breathing; that was something. It was enough for now at least. Edward reached for his hand, afraid that he may wake up and start screaming again. But he had to touch him, he had missed him so much. He raised his hand up to his mouth, kissing it softly. He felt so cold. Edward kept it pressed against his cheek, fighting back tears as he tried to warm up the little bit of flesh.

One of the medics had to take Oswald's hand away to put in another IV, apologizing quietly. Ed let his empty hands fall into his lap, his head hanging in defeat. He looked down at Oswald's poor, beaten face; fearing the worst. What if he never recovered? What if he hated him forever because of this? What if... 

Edward sighed miserably, vowing silently that should the absolutely worst was to happen and Oswald was lost to him forever, that he would admit himself to Arkham Asylum and personally hunt down Babs, Tabs, and Butch one by one.   



	3. Picking Up the Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recovery from his injuries, both physical and mental, is going to be tough for Oswald; but Edward is not going anywhere.

Recovery had been rough for Oswald. The physical part was hard at first; a broken arm and hand, a few busted ribs, stitches all over and his limp was certainly no better off. But with enough pain killers and a few drinks, he could ignore the pain. But the mental trauma? That was much, much harder to overcome. 

During his entire hospital stay, Oswald had refused to see Edward. When he first awoke to find him sitting there, he pleaded with him to leave. He did not want to have him dragged out by security, despite everything that had happened; or, at least what he thought had happened. After Edward left the hospital, Oswald made sure that even if he tried to return that he wouldn’t be able to see him.

It took a few days of convincing from Jim and Harvey for Oswald to understand that it really wasn’t Edward that had done this to him. It had been one of Hugo Strange’s monsters. Harvey had to explain his encounter with Basil Karlo when he had posed as Gordon. Jim pointed out all the little things that didn’t add up to it being Ed. Finally, after a little over a week in the hospital, Oswald finally understood and processed that it hadn’t been his dear Edward. He definitely felt a sense of relief, though he couldn’t immediately shake the fear of him. 

Today was the big day that he was finally able to go home. Sure, he was still bruised, had a stupid, itchy cast on his arm and had a bit of a recovery ahead of him, but he could manage it at home. The entire drive home with Gabe, Oswald was an absolute wreck. He tried to pull it together, knowing it would be hard to see Ed. But it hadn’t been Ed that hurt him. Nothing had changed between them; at least that’s what he kept trying to tell himself. It was going to take time. 

As they arrived at the mansion, Oswald took a deep breath before heading inside. He smiled softly as Olga greeted him at the door, wincing a bit at the tight hug, still too sore, but the gesture was appreciated. Before he could even ask to see him, Olga made it a point to tell Oswald how worried sick Edward had been and how he exhausted every resource he had to find him. It just stung more, knowing Ed was paying for someone else wearing his face and making Oswald hesitant around him. But he couldn’t help it. 

After being told Edward was in their bedroom, Oswald thanked Olga and made his way upstairs. 

Being turned away at the hospital was just one more soul shattering episode in Edward’s long week from hell. When Oswald had begged him to leave, it broke Edward’s heart. He had exhausted himself body and soul trying to find Oswald and now that he finally had found him, it was like losing him all over again. No, this was worse, he decided. It was worse to have his lover look at him that terrible way, as if he might actually hurt him. Ed knew it was because of that monster Clayface and those trolls currently locked up at Arkham, but it didn’t make it sting any less. Today was Oswald’s first day home and his emotions were very conflicted.

Should he be happy? Well, of course. He was happy that Oswald was well enough to return home, that he was alive and on the mend. But there was also a heavy sense of dread. Would Ozzie even speak to him? Look at him without screaming? Would they ever be okay again? He was still keeping the ring in his pocket, toying it from time to time. He didn’t know now if he would ever have the chance to put it on his beloved’s finger. He sniffed back a few tears, sighing miserably to himself. He heard movement outside the bedroom door, quickly putting the ring away.

It took a moment of preparing himself before Oswald could push that door open. When he saw Edward sitting there in their bed, a complete mess, he had to fight back his initial fear, reminding himself over and over it wasn’t him. He made his way over to the bed after closing the door behind him, sitting down next to Edward. 

Edward’s face lit up when he saw Oswald come through the door, but frowning slightly at the cast. He resisted jumping up and embracing him, certain that it would only do more harm than good. He stayed perched on the edge of the bed, quietly wringing his hands.

It was killing Oswald that he couldn’t shake off the fear that was instilled in him over those awful couple of days. He knew it had to be torture for Ed. The real Ed. The Ed that had exhausted himself sick trying to find him. He could feel the nerves building up in the pit of his stomach, but he couldn’t just let him sit there with that hurt look on his face. He hadn’t done anything wrong. 

“Jim and Harvey explained everything to me,” Oswald finally said after a long silence, forcing himself to look at Edward. His hand was shaking as he placed it on top of Edward’s knee, swallowing down the lump in his throat. “I know it wasn’t you. I’m just…I’m gonna need time,” he explained, trying his hardest not to let that fear get the best of him.

Edward felt a joyful warmth oozing up inside him when Oswald touched his leg; he knew that couldn’t have been easy. He nodded as Oswald spoke, saying softly, “I’ll give you all the time you need, whatever you need me to do to help you. I… I’ve been so very worried about you.”

Edward tried to reach out and take Oswald’s hand, moving slowly. He was dying to touch him, but he was afraid it might be too much too fast. “I’m… I’m so sorry. I should have found you sooner.”

Oswald’s first instinct when Ed reached for his hand was to quickly jerk away, catching himself and letting out a shaky little sigh. It wasn’t him. He had to repeat this to himself in his head over and over. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, able to see how badly it hurt his boyfriend. 

“Don’t apologize,” Ed said sternly. “You’ve done nothing wrong.” As much as it hurt when Oswald flinched at his touch, he didn’t want his love blaming himself for any of this. That guilt trip was one Ed was riding fine on his own. The ring in his pocket felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, a regret that he would likely carry for some time. 

Oswald bit down on his lip hard, having to take a deep breath before reaching back out and taking Ed’s hand. He carefully laced their fingers together, exhaling sharply.

Edward smiled softly when Oswald took his hand, watching their fingers slowly intertwine. It felt so nice. He continued to reassure him, saying, “It’s not your fault. We will get through this, however long it takes. I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to.”

It took building up a lot of courage and shoving down a lot of fear, but Oswald leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Ed’s lips. He was not able to hold it very long, but it was a step. 

When Oswald kissed him, however brief it was, Ed’s heart melted. He sighed against his lips, savoring how sweet he tasted. He had missed him so much. He wanted to hold him close and make love to him all night, to tell him how much he loved him and he never wanted to be away from him ever again. The kiss was over so quickly, Ed was left licking his lips to hold onto the last shred of warmth from his lover’s mouth. 

Oswald had certainly missed the taste of Ed’s lips against his own, savoring it even if he couldn’t force himself to just get over everything. He did let himself lean against Ed’s side, finding a bit of comfort in it. Oswald was fidgeting endlessly trying contain his nerves. “I’m sorry I can’t just snap out of it…” 

“I already told you,” Edward soothed, enjoying the closeness. “You have nothing to apologize for.” He hated to hear Oswald trying to make amends for something that was entirely out of his control. Edward hung his head, overcome with emotion. This was already so much harder than he thought it would be. 

“Victor also stopped by and told me you had him and the girls scouring the city,” Oswald said softly. “Olga even said nice things about you.” Oswald looked back to Ed, offering a sincere little smile. 

Edward shook his head, returning the little smile as he laughed, “Even Olga was singing my praises? I must have done all right then.”

Oswald paused, glancing back down and picking at the edge of his cast, much of edges already frayed from his nervous ride home. “Despite everything that happened and even while I thought it was you… I did miss you.”

“And I missed you. So, so very much.” Ed held himself back from taking another kiss, trying to find comfort in his boyfriend’s hand. It wasn’t enough, but somehow it would have to be. Edward sighed, a frown creasing his lips as he said, “Detective Gordon and Bullock said they’re still looking for that monster… Basil Karlo. They haven’t found him yet. Victor is looking, too. I hope we find him first. He needs to pay for what he did.”

There was no hiding the sour look on Oswald’s face when Edward mentioned that sick fuck who decided to wear Ed’s face, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand hard enough to hurt as he tried to quell the building rage. Something suddenly came back to him, remembering how furious Basil had been at the mention of Arkham. 

Oswald looked up to Ed, a small part of his old self resurfacing. “We will find him first. We’ll have a little fun, then turn whatever is left over to the GCPD.” A devious little smirk spread across his lips. “He snapped at the mere mention of Arkham. Trust me. Death would be far too kind.”

Edward couldn’t hide how happy it made him feel to see that nasty little smirk on Oswald’s face. For a moment, it was like nothing had happened and everything was back to normal. He smiled wide, giving Oswald’s hand another little squeeze, even though his fingers were still throbbing from Oswald nearly crushing them a moment ago. Edward knew he still had to be careful and take his time with his boyfriend. Even if it was just for the moment, Ed was going to enjoy it. “Victor will find him if he’s still in Gotham, that I am sure of.”

If there was one thing Oswald was good at, it was finding weaknesses in others and exploiting them. He was a man who had built himself up on finding out as much information as he could and using it to his advantage. Every wall, no matter how great, always had a little crack in it. And Oswald was very good at finding cracks. That shape shifting fuck certainly had taken advantage of Oswald’s weakness and he couldn’t wait to return the favor. Oh, revenge would be so sweet.

“He will suffer for everything he did,” Edward hissed, his voice dripping with venom. “I will tear him apart so he can no longer wear anyone’s face ever again, I will pull every bit of flesh and… I…” He cleared his throat. Maybe it was better to change the subject. He didn’t want to upset Ozzie. “I’m, I’m just so glad you’re home. You need rest now, to recover.” 

Oswald was understandably a little intimidated when Ed started to seethe, but he kept himself from pulling away. Ed had every reason to be angry. Oswald knew he would have been if their roles had been reversed. He was grateful for the change of subject however, wanting to think about anything else in that moment. 

“The public believes you’ve come down with a bad case of the flu, so I’ve bought you at least another week to rest up before you have to be seen for a city meeting next Friday.” Edward offered a kind smile, leaning close, trying not to come across too strongly, but he was so desperate for Oswald’s affections. “Please, tell me what I can do to help you. Anything.”

Oswald smiled when Edward mentioned that he didn’t have to make any appearances for a whole week, still not quite ready to get back up on the horse. “Thank you.” He flinched a bit as Ed pressed forward. But he was quick to pull himself out of it, nuzzling himself against Edward’s side so that his arm wrapped around him. 

Edward still noticed the flinching, each little jerk cutting into him like a knife. It started the cycle of anger and guilt all over again every time it happened. Even as Oswald tried to cuddle up next to him, Ed knew they had a long way to go before his love was fully recovered mentally. 

Oswald wasn’t entirely sure what he needed. He knew he needed something to snap him out of it, but he didn’t know what possibly could. He let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes a moment, listening to the sound of Ed’s heartbeat. “Some not hospital food would be nice,” he finally said with a soft little laugh, his thumb gently brushing along Ed’s hand.

Edward grinned asking eagerly, “Tell me your heart’s desire and it is yours! I will happily run Olga out of that kitchen and cook you whatever you want! You have but to name it!” He was feeling a little more sure of himself, carefully taking Oswald’s hand and pressing the most chaste of kisses across his knuckles. 

Edward was beaming. He couldn’t fix Oswald with a glance, though how he wished he could. Touching him was so uncertain; but food? That was certainly one medium Edward could safely express himself in and please his lover. It was a start. One piece at a time, Ed told himself. Bit by bit, he would bring his lover back together until he was whole again.


	4. At Long Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward has been so very patient taking care of Oswald as he recovers from his trauma, and Oswald is finally ready to reward all of his beloved's efforts.

It had been a slow process, but Oswald was slowly returning back to his usual self. The whole ordeal with Clayface Ed had shaken him down to his core and it had taken a lot to slowly build himself back up. He had to constantly remind himself that Ed hadn't done those awful things to him. His darling Edward loved him and was trying his damnedest to give Oswald all the time he needed, even if each broken hearted little look in his eyes didn't go unnoticed. How could Oswald blame him? Ed had done nothing wrong and was paying the price for someone else's actions.

Oswald was determined to get things back to the way they were. 

Through lots of hard work, they were finally getting there. The trust was mending between he and Edward. Where he was once flinching away from his touch, he found himself craving more, slowly back to wanting Ed's attention as opposed to being left alone. Small touches here and there that progressed to hand holding, then hugs, then back to sharing a bed and snuggling at night, even kisses. 

But tonight? Tonight something was different. The holidays were rolling around and Oswald, ever the little Grinch, had already had his fill of holiday cheer. Edward had spent the day doing everything he could to keep the hell that was charity holiday events, dinners, and holiday parades all at a minimum. He did his very best to make it as tolerable as possible for Oswald, going above and beyond the call of duty as both his Chief of Staff and his boyfriend. Oswald had been so grateful. By the time they were back in their room settling in for the night, that final little bit of hesitation in him had disappeared. He looked over at Edward as he was busy unbuttoning that dark green suit of his, that same smitten look on his face as the first time he realized he was in love with Ed. 

Without a word, he made his way over to his boyfriend. His hand came up to rest on top of Edward's, stopping him from undoing the rest of the buttons on his jacket, looking up at him with a sweet smile. "I love you, very, very much, my dear Mr. Nygma," he said softly, his other hand wrapping around the back of Ed's neck. He pulled him down close as he stood on his tip toes for a slow, sweet kiss. 

Edward smiled softly, leaning his head down to help meet his boyfriend's lips for that sweet kiss. He tried not to kiss him too eagerly, but he was so desperate for affection. Oswald's recovery had been very difficult for both of them in so many ways and even though things were getting better, there was still the matter of bedroom intimacy. There had been absolutely none since the incident. And why would there be? Oswald had only recently been able to stand Ed touching him without freaking out. Edward had tried very hard not to let any of his carnal suffering show, less it impede Oswald's progress. He knew that being patient was key above all else for Oswald to be able to trust that Ed was actually Ed again and things had been going very well. Tender kisses and close snuggles were amazing improvements, but he was aching inside for his boyfriend's most intimate touches more and more each day. 

But he hadn't pushed, simply controlling himself and taking extra long showers in the morning to alleviate the tension. Very long showers. 

"And I love you, my dear Mr. Cobblepot," Edward sighed against his lips, nuzzling their noses together. He couldn't quite place the expression on Oswald's face, reaching up and touching his beloved's cheek as if it would somehow reveal its mystery underneath his touch. He ran his thumb slowly over Oswald's chin, taking his time and trying not to move too fast. There was still a part of him that was fearful of somehow startling his boyfriend even as far as they'd come. Damn, he looked so handsome, Ed thought. There was a sweet little light over his eyes that wasn't there before. Ed asked softly, "Is something wrong, Ozzie?" 

Oswald couldn't help but let out a soft little laugh, shaking his head. His dear Edward was a genius, there was absolutely no doubts about that, but he was so oblivious sometimes. Oswald would never understand how Ed hadn't noticed for weeks the way he had looked at him like a lovesick little puppy before he had confessed his feelings. He didn't understand how Ed couldn't see that Oswald looked at him like he was the greatest thing on the face of the earth. It was the very same look he had on had on his face right at that moment. His hand came up to rest against the back of Edward's, pressing a little kiss to his thumb. "No, there's nothing wrong at all, Eddie," he replied with a nod. 

He didn't need to say anything else, taking Edward's hand and leading him to their bed, sitting him down and settling in beside him. He reached up and gently removed his glasses, setting them on the nightstand. 

Edward frowned, still a little confused at what exactly was going on. It was like an exciting secret and everyone was in on it except him. Despite his mental prowess, there were certain social cues that always managed to escape him. This was definitely one of those times. He shook his head, laughing softly, squinting. "Ozzie? What are you doing?" he asked again softly, but he found no reply except his lover's mouth. 

Oh, how sweet his darling tasted. He gasped at how eagerly Oswald was kissing him, his face quickly flushing. It had been so long since he'd felt this much passion and he could swear there was lightning in his lover's lips. He shuddered, a delightful sensation racing down his spine and around to his loins. He could feel the beat of his heart already down between his legs, embarrassed how quickly he was aroused. 

Oswald cupped his hands over Edward's cheeks, deepening their kiss. For the first time in what felt like forever, Oswald didn't feel any sort of fear, any sort of hesitation. He wanted to be closer and it was obvious, more passion behind his kiss, his other hand taking Edward's and placing it on his own thigh. 

Edward actually jumped. He had spent so much time being careful and courteous, trying to respect Ozzie's personal space. That simple little gesture was surprisingly sexual and nearly overwhelming. 

Edward's fingers instinctively dug in, perhaps harder than he had meant to. His body was telling him exactly where this was headed, his lover's replying in kind. His other hand reached up to touch Oswald's chest, his head already spinning. He hesitated, breaking their kiss, panting. His eyes searched those pretty blues, his voice low and hoarse as he asked, "Ozzie... are you sure?" 

Oswald couldn't hide the way his breathing hitched as Ed's fingers dug into his thigh, his eyes lingering on his lover's for a moment as their kiss broke, panting softly. There was something so sweet about the way Edward's face blushed, clearly getting so flustered. It was like their first time touching all over again. It had been far too long since he'd felt that familiar excitement and longing building. Fuck, he had missed this. "I'm sure," he nodded, moving to lay back against the bed, tugging Edward down on top of him. 

Oswald ran a hand through his boyfriend's dark hair, using it to tug him back in for another kiss, his tongue brushing past his lips to meet Ed's, groaning softly at the sweet taste of him. He didn't know how he had ever gone without this. He let his other hand go back to undoing the buttons of his jacket and shirt, fingertips exploring the newly exposed skin of his chest and stomach, taking his time, exploring every dip and curve. "I missed this," he murmured against his lips, tangling their legs together, groaning as he pressed his hips up against Ed's. 

Edward felt like a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle someone had dumped out on the floor, seeking to find the edges. He was practically heaving now, lost in Oswald's lips. Each little finger through his hair set his scalp aflame, his mouth desperately returning his lover's kiss. Oswald's lips had never felt so hot, each lap of their mouths making Ed's stomach flutter. His heart was aching from pure emotion, shaking underneath Oswald's wandering hands. It seemed an eternity had passed since his lover had caressed him, almost in tears as he said, "Oh, baby. I've missed you, too. So very much." 

Edward shrugged off his shirt and jacket, nimble fingers gently moving to Oswald's neck as their hips danced together. His mouth pressed against his lover's throat as he undid the silken tie wound around his throat. Even as his body ached to race forward, he forced himself back. There was no rush, this needed to be done right. The tie undone, he began to unbutton each little obstacle of Oswald's shirt, his lips following behind to press little kisses into his lover's pale flesh. "You're so beautiful," Ed commented lovingly, his lips lingering around Oswald's navel once his shirt was undone. "I've missed how you taste, how you sound. I've wanted you so terribly. This... This has been torture." 

Oswald couldn't remember the last time he had felt his heart race like this, his skin on fire with each little kiss. His cheeks heated up at the compliment, still getting so flustered that Ed even noticed him, let alone loved him and found him beautiful. Edward was the single most stunning man he had ever laid eyes on, a true work of art. He'd had the patience of a saint with Oswald building back trust again, patience Oswald wasn't sure he was even capable of himself. How did he get so lucky? 

"I have missed the feeling of your lips against my skin so terribly. I must confess I didn't realize quite how badly up until now..." Oswald trailed off, his voice breathless as he glanced down at Edward. He ran his thumb along one of those perfectly sculpted cheek bones, admiring the sight of his love's face so flush, his hair disheveled. He was flawless. Oswald felt a slow heat building, the way Ed's lips hovered around his navel leaving him panting softly, wanting more. 

"It's all right, darling," Ed said with a little smile, leaning into his boyfriend's touch, "I wanted you to be ready..." He repositioned himself, more little kisses leading him up to Oswald's mouth again. More passion was behind his kiss this time, his tongue slowly slipping past his lips to meet his lover's. He curled an arm underneath the small of his back, lifting him up as they kissed so he could start taking off his shirt and jacket. He was careful, kind. Even as much as he wanted to rip all of Oswald's clothes off and ravage him, he made sure to take his time. He wanted to savor this. 

Oswald was melting under Edward's hands, appreciating every slow, gentle touch. His breath was picking up steadily, unable to hide how excited he was. He let out a hushed little moan into their kiss, his tongue sliding against Ed's, savoring the taste of him. 

Once the clothing was removed and tossed aside, Edward took one of Oswald's hands and softly kissed his knuckles. "I love you." 

A deep blush spread across Oswald's cheeks. Every last motion from Edward was so gentle and sweet, he was starting to tremble already. "I love you, too." 

Edward started to undo the rest of the buttons of his coat, his shirt following right after. He pushed all of the discarded clothing out of the way, his hands finding Oswald's stomach, fingers slowly undoing his belt. He bent down, kissing Oswald's hip, trying not to be so eager, but it was so very hard; as hard as his cock now was still trapped inside his pants. He ran his tongue just under the edge of Oswald's underwear, hot breath against his flesh as he closed his eyes. Every little bit of his lover was so soft and tender, he had missed every inch. 

Oswald's fingers threaded through Edward's hair, softly writhing against the sheets when he felt his tongue, letting out a soft little "O-oh." Every last kiss and touch felt white hot, like his body was remembering how wonderful Edward's touch really was, erasing any lingering traces of fear left. 

Edward smiled lovingly, slowly removing Oswald's pants and underwear, taking in the gorgeous sight of his naked body. Damn, it was so exquisite; he had missed it so. He took Oswald's foot, rubbing it softly as he bowed his head down. He kissed his ankles, slowly moving up over his shins and to his knee. He nuzzled his cheek against old scars, his tongue tracing over each one. He kept crawling higher, pressing sweet kisses along his thighs to the tender crook of skin right next to his cock. He seductively licked his fingers, easing them up between Oswald's legs. 

Oswald was doing his best to keep his eyes on Edward, each loving, tender little kiss and flick of his tongue leaving him softly panting. His legs spread a little wider as he felt Ed's lips along his thighs, sucking at his lower lip gently, letting out a moan as he watched his tongue working over his fingers. How did he ever get so lucky to find someone so gorgeous? 

Edward began teasing him slowly, only dipping a fingertip past his rim at first. He eased out, and then back again, a little deeper. He took Oswald's cock into his mouth, all warm lips and tongue, tenderly sucking him as he pressed his fingers all the way into him. He was so eager for his lover to be whole again, so grateful all of his patience was being rewarded. 

"Oh, Edward..." Oswald gasped out, certain he could see stars as his eyes fluttered shut. He couldn't remember the last time his body had felt so good, or how he had forgotten how impossibly warm Ed's mouth felt around his cock. It was heaven, he was sure of it. His back arched gently off of the sheets, hips slowly rocking, torn between meeting his fingers or his mouth. 

Edward sighed over Oswald's cock when he heard him moaning his name. It was such a beautiful sound. He kept gently fingering him, letting his lover's cock ride over his tongue and to the back of his mouth. Oh, the taste of him, already detecting a faint splash of saltiness. Edward rocked his head happily, keeping the rhythm of his mouth and fingers slow. He knew he was getting Oswald so very close like this, but no, not quite yet. 

Oswald bit was whining softly, his fingers threading through Edward's hair as his head bobbed, his legs beginning to tremble as he grew closer. It had been so long, he wasn't surprised he was already being brought so close to the edge. But he was grateful when his lover pulled back, wanting him so badly. 

Edward couldn't resist his own desires, his own body eager for attention. He planted a sweet little kiss on the head of Oswald's cock as he sat back on his knees. He began to unbutton his pants, peeling them off and moving to work off his underwear. 

Oswald's eyes peeked back open, watching with a happy little sigh as Edward undressed the rest of the way, taking in the sight of his lovely pale, thin figure. 

Edward ran his tongue over his teeth as he asked, his voice hoarse with desire, "Tell me, Mr. Cobblepot; how would like me to make love to you?" 

Oswald smiled sweetly, a hand reaching up to pull Edward closer, stealing a sweet little kiss. "Slowly, I want to take our time. I've missed this so much, my love." 

"Anything for you," Edward sighed, kissing his lover back passionately. He was patient, getting what he needed from their bedside table and making sure he was plenty slick. Even after having warmed up his lover, it had been some time since having sex and he wanted nothing but pleasure for him. He kept their lips locked tight, a hand reaching down between them to carefully guide his cock into position. 

Oswald felt a brief little moment of butterflies in the pit of his stomach, a hint of nervousness just because it had been so long. He trusted that Edward would be gentle, taking a deep breath. 

Edward slowly slid into him, releasing his hand and letting his hips tenderly rock against Oswald's as he pushed his cock all the way in. He gasped against his lover's mouth. It had been so long, he had forgotten how wonderful it felt to be inside him. His eyes squeezed shut, a tear managing to escape as his body pressed into Oswald's. His hand held his jaw, kissing him softly, sliding down the curves of his body to his hips. 

Oswald moaned loudly against Edward's lips as he lovingly thrusted into him. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, the flood of emotion so overwhelming being this close to his beloved Edward again, a few little tears of his own slipping. He kissed him passionately, his hands roaming over Edward's back. 

Every move was deliberate, passionate. Every bit of his flesh felt so hot and Edward couldn't get enough. His strokes were long, deep, tantalizing slow. He would have waited a lifetime to feel this again, murmuring sweetly, "I love you, Oswald, oh, so much!" 

Oswald wrapped a leg up around his lover's waist, his hips rocking to meet each and every deep thrust, having to break away from Edward's lips to attempt to catch his breath. "I love you, too, Edward," he gasped out, drawing him in closer. Each movement had Oswald seeing stars, his whole body on fire, not knowing how he ever lived without this closeness. 

No one could ever make Oswald feel the way Edward did; his patience, his kindness, his constant love and reassurance. Oswald was so painfully in love with every last little thing about his darling Ed. 

Edward's head was feeling dizzy from the sweet rush of it all. He had to sit back up, gasping for air, his hips still moving steadily. He made sure to keep Oswald's legs tight around his waist, his hand gently holding his thighs and pulling him up into each thrust. He gazed down at his lover's body, whimpering softly as he watched him writhe in front of him. 

"I fear, my love, I'm getting close," Edward admitted, groaning softly. It was so lovely and it had been so long since they'd been so intimate. He wanted to go as long as he could, he'd missed seeing his lover in the throes of passion. 

Oswald gazed up at Edward as he sat back, watching as his slender hips rocked, crying out softly when his lover's cock hit just the right spot. He already knew he was close, the amount of time since the last time they had been this intimate and the overwhelming amount of emotion just too much. "Me, too," he moaned, his back arching off of the sheets. 

Edward was panting, trying to stem the burning sensation building up inside of him. He smiled down at Oswald, not being able to imagine being in love with anyone else so deeply. Soon, he knew, he was going to make this man his husband; he was the greatest love of his life and this was one more step closer to being ready. 

Oswald's hand slipped down over his stomach, fingers wrapping around his cock and stroking in time with Edward's hips. He was panting hard, only lasting a few more thrusts before he finally couldn't hold back, that overwhelming warmth building up in the pit of his stomach just too much. With a cry of Edward's name, he finally came, his hips grinding down desperately against his lover's cock, losing himself in wave after wave of overwhelming passion. 

"Oh, God," Edward cried, eyes wide as he watched Oswald orgasm. He moved his hips through every last shiver, moaning loudly as he found his own end. He collapsed back on top of Oswald, finding his lips and kissing him passionately, letting his hips buck wildly as he came inside him. He was heaving, trying hard to find his breath again, sighing, "Oh, I love you, my dearest one." 

Edward ran his hand back through his hair, fingers wet with sweat and slicking it back. He smiled wide, practically giddy from all the pleasure. He refused to pull out just yet, even as his erection left him, kissing Oswald eagerly. He traced a finger over his lover's lips, holding him close and kissing him once more. 

"I love you, too, my darling Edward," Oswald replied, fighting to catch his breath, though he happily returned the kiss. He smiled softly as he felt his lover's finger brush over his lips, pressing a sweet little kiss to it. 

"Oswald," Edward said softly, but his tone still full of purpose, "I want you to know that I will always be here for you. Whatever you suffer, we suffer together, and I will always be here. I am... I am so grateful to remain by your side." He touched his lover's cheek, smiling still. "You are so strong, and so beautiful... I had no doubt you could overcome this, and I'm so very happy to share your recovery, with you." 

Oswald felt his eyes welling up again at Edward's sweet words, his heart pounding hard in his chest. He smiled softly, reaching up and gently cupping his lover's hand. "I would have never been able to get through all of this without you, Edward. I would be so lost without you," he said softly, kissing his knuckles gently. "There is no one else I could ever share any of this with." 

Edward grinned, as always, unable to resist, reciting softly, "Memories etched in flesh torn asunder, dragging across both mind and skin, often thick as thunder; thinking of me can completely break you; but should you tame me, stronger I will make you. What am I?" 

Oswald couldn't help but chuckle softly at the riddle, shaking his head, a bright smile on his face. He thought it over for a moment, shrugging his shoulders a bit as he came up with nothing. "I don't know, what are you?" 

Edward smiled, always pleased to stump his boyfriend. It was fun when Oswald got them right on occassion, but Edward would have to admit he was happier when he couldn't. He stretched out on the bed, cuddling up close. He touched Oswald's chest, saying, "Scars... You have several; some old, some new, some on the inside, some on the outside." He held his lover closer, letting their legs tangle together. "How ever many you gather, I will be here to help you carry them." 

Oswald smiled, touched by his boyfriend's undeniable love for him. He tilted his head, pecking Edward's cheek, sighing, "And I am so thankful." 

Edward was so very happy, he almost didn't notice the little metallic glint on the floor where he had tossed their clothes earlier. He happened to glance over as he readjusted himself on the bed. When he did, his heart dropped into his stomach. Even without his glasses, he recognized it immediately. _The ring!_ It must have fallen out of his pocket. He cleared his throat, trying to appear as casually as possible, sitting up slowly. 

"Is something the matter?" Oswald asked, cocking his head as Edward stood up. He thought that perhaps Edward looked a little worried. He was enjoying the view regardless, smiling as he looked over Ed's lean body. 

"Oh! Nothing's wrong at all," Edward said a little too quickly. "I just... wanted to get these clothes put away." 

"It can certainly wait, darling," Oswald laughed. He didn't think much of it, chalking it up to Edward's intense and constant desire for order. He pulled the blankets over himself, snuggling into his pillow as he watched Edward fumbling around with the clothes. 

"It's no trouble! Best to get it all done right now," Edward said, grinning wide, trying not to seem suspicious. He crouched down in front of the little pile, carefully palming the ring as he scooped up the clothing. He hurried over to the small hamper in their bathroom, dropping it all off and staring at the ring still in hand. Should he...? 

No, he shook his head. 

Not yet. 

Edward returned, sliding into bed beside Oswald. He shrugged the covers over his shoulder, slipping his arm around his boyfriend's waist. He kissed his neck, letting out a long sigh. He smiled when he felt Oswald wiggling back against him, always desperate to be as close as possible. He couldn't imagine any sweeter way for their day to end. It made every little bit of heart ache and anguish all worth it to have his sweet bird finally mended. 

Oswald smiled contently as his eyes fluttered closed, murmuring, "I love you, Eddie." 

"And I love you, Ozzie," Edward responded. He held his boyfriend close, the happiest he had been in weeks. But even as he felt Oswald's breathing start to slow as he fell asleep, Edward could not find rest. His mind was wide awake and he had so many ideas flying through his mind. What if Oswald had seen the ring? What if he figured out what Edward was trying to do? He didn't want the surprised to be ruined, it had to be perfect. 

It was finally time, he decided. He had to do something. All the planning in the world meant little unless he took action. He carefully slipped out of bed, making sure to tuck the covers back around Oswald so he wouldn't wake. He gently touched his lover's hair, admiring how sweet he looked as he slept. He loved Oswald more than anything in the world and he knew that this was one more step to making their life together complete. 

He grabbed his robe and his glasses, sneaking downstairs to his office. He fumbled around in one of his desk drawers, poking around through a few odds and ends until he found a small box of cards. They were left over from a pack that Edward had purchased to use as thank you cards for one of the holiday dinners that Oswald had attended this week. He grabbed a pen, smiling softly, and began to write: 

_Greetings, my love._

 _I love you with all of my heart and another moment we mustn't delay,_

_There is something very important that I've been meaning to say._

_The time was never right, but I can no longer wait._

_Our love cannot be denied, we both know that it's fate._

_You must come find me, a game you must play, using the riddles to find your way._

_Follow all the clues and discover the theme,_

_As the riddles unravel, you'll see what I mean._

_All the pieces will come together, they will unlock your way._

_Be patient, my love; this will be a very special day._

Edward smirked, very pleased with himself. There was much more to do, but this was a good start. Very soon, everything would be ready; and he would finally put that ring on his beloved's finger. 


End file.
